Self-adjusting metal wrap for wooden posts

ABSTRACT

A wrap for protecting a terminal end of a wooden post. The wrap comprises a plurality of plates that are secured around the wooden posts using a plurality of angled corner pieces. The plates are free floating with respect to the corner pieces such that the wrap self adjusts when the post dimensions decrease in size due to natural shrinkage of the wood. The components of the wrap may be made from metal. The wrap protects the post from damage due to incidental collisions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/058,082 filed on Mar. 1, 2016, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/128,935 filed on Mar. 5, 2015, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Present Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to structures, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to timber frame structures.

2. Description of Related Art

Modern timber frame structures provide structural soundness as well an aesthetically pleasing look. Timber framing can be utilized for both interior framing of residential and commercial buildings and for outdoor-frame structures. More recently, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of outdoor timber frame structures constructed from heavy timbers, including pergolas, pavilions and patio covers. In its most basic form, an outdoor timber frame structure comprises one or more vertical support posts. Horizontal support beams may extend between pairs of the vertical support posts. The horizontal support beams may in turn support a desired roof or covering for providing shade and weather protection. Often times, these outdoor timber frame structures are sold as unassembled kits. These kits include pre-manufactured timber components that may be assembled onsite to form the structure. Timber frame kits have the advantage that they may be assembled easily and quickly without the need of professional help or heavy equipment in most cases.

After installation, the timber posts utilized in the structures may be damaged through incidental collisions with objects. For example, a user may accidentally ram the side of a post with a lawn mower causing damage to the finish of the post and perhaps even causing a gouge in the post. It would therefore be an improvement to the prior art to provide an aesthetically pleasing protective barrier for posts utilized in timber frame structures.

The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the present disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective wrap for a timber frame post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the protective post wrap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a strip component of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a plate component of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a corner component of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 1 installed onto a post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 1 installed onto a post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective and exploded view of a protective post wrap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts the method of installing the protective wrap of FIG. 8 onto a post;

FIG. 10 depicts the protective wrap of FIG. 8 installed onto a post;

FIG. 11 depicts an exploded view of a protective post wrap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an assembled view of the protective wrap shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 depicts the protective wrap shown in FIG. 11 installed onto a post;

FIG. 14 depicts the components of the protective wrap depicted in FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 depicts an exploded view of a protective wrap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 16 depicts the protective wrap shown in FIG. 15 installed onto a post.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.

In describing and claiming the present disclosure, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, the term “post” refers to an elongated piece of wood cut from a tree that is used as a wooden support either in the horizontal or vertical direction. A post may be formed of timber or dimensional lumber.

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a protective metal wrap for a timber post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

It is further an objective of the present disclosure to provide a protective metal wrap for a timber frame post that self-adjusts in response to natural shrinkage of the timber post.

It is further an objective of the present disclosure to provide a protective metal wrap with free-floating plates to allow the wrap to self adjust over the life of the timber post.

It is further an objective of the present disclosure to provide a self-adjusting wrap for a wooden post that adjusts to the natural shrinkage of the wood.

It is further an objective of the present disclosure to provide a self-adjusting wrap for a wooden post that comprises a plurality of plates and corner pieces, wherein the plurality of plates are free floating with respect to the corner pieces in at least one direction so that the wrap is able to adjust to the natural shrinkage of the wood.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is depicted a post wrap 100 for use on a wooden post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be observed, the protective wrap 100 may have four sides 102-108 that extend between a top edge 110 and a bottom edge 112. The sides 102-108 are arranged to form a generally cube-like shape having an open top and an open bottom. It will be appreciated that the open top and the open bottom accommodate a post. In an embodiment, the wrap 100 may have a generally rectangular cross section in a horizontal plane.

In an embodiment, the wrap 100 comprises an outer surface 114 and an inner surface 116. The inner surface 116 is configured and adapted to abuttingly engage the outer side walls of a wooden post as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The outer surface 114 of the wrap 100 is the exposed or visible side of the wrap 100. The wrap 100 further comprises a plurality of bores 118 that extend between the outer surface 114 and the inner surface 116. Each of the bores 118 is configured and adapted to receive a fastener 120. Each of the sides 102-108 may have four bores 118. In an embodiment, the fastener 120 is one of a screw, nail, lag bolt, spike, and pin that is able to secure the wrap 100 onto a wooden post.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is depicted an exploded view of the post wrap 100 depicted in FIG. 1. Each one of the sides 102-108 of the wrap 100 may comprise a plate 150. In an embodiment, each plate 150 has a generally rectangular shape and is relatively thin. It will be appreciated that the plates 150 may have a wide variety of shapes other than rectangular. In an embodiment, the plates 150 may have a decorative cutout. A plurality of bores 152 is formed in the plate 150. In an embodiment, four (4) bores 152 are formed in the plate 150. In an embodiment, the bores 152 are elongated or slotted in the horizontal direction.

The wrap 100 further comprises a plurality of corner pieces 154. In an embodiment, the wrap 100 comprises eight (8) corner pieces, but it will be appreciated that the wrap 100 may include any number of corner pieces or none at all. In an embodiment, each corner piece 154 includes a 90-degree bend between a first portion 156 and a second portion 158. Formed in the first portion 156 of the corner pieces 154 is a bore 160. Formed in the second portion 158 of each of the corner pieces 154 is another bore 160. In an embodiment, the bores are elongated or slotted in a horizontal direction.

In an embodiment, the wrap 100 further comprises a pair of reinforcement strips 162 attached to each of the outer surfaces of each of the plates 150. In an embodiment, the strips 162 are attached by welding. It will be appreciated that the strips 162 may be attached by fasteners or in another manner known to those having ordinary skill in the art.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, there is depicted the reinforcement strip 162, a plate 150, and corner piece 154 where like reference numerals depict like components. It will be appreciated that the strip 162, plate 150 and corner piece 154 may be formed by cutting them out from a flat piece of metal as shown in FIGS. 3-5. The bores 152 and 160 may be formed by a drill and a bit. The corner piece 154 may be bent to a 90-degree angle by a press or other similar device.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is depicted the wrap 100 installed onto a wooden post 200. To install the wrap 100, two plates 150 are placed on adjacent sides of the post 200. The bottom of the plates 150 may rest on the ground to ensure proper spacing. A top corner piece 154A is then placed onto the corner 201 of the post 200 between the two plates 150. The bores 160 in the corner piece 154A (see FIG. 2) are then aligned with the corresponding top bores 152 (see FIG. 2) in the two plates 150. Fasteners 120 are then installed through the aligned ones of the bores 160 and 152 to secure the plates 150 and the corner pieces 154A and 154B to the post 200. A lower corner piece 154B is then installed in a similar manner to the top corner piece 154A. To complete the installation, the remaining plates 150 and corner pieces 154 are installed in a similar manner to complete the post wrap 100 around the entire post 200. It will be appreciated that the plates 150 are disposed between the corner pieces 154 and the post 200.

It will be appreciated that due to the elongate or slotted configuration of the bores 152 in the plates 150 as shown in FIG. 2, that if and when the post 200 shrinks due to natural factures, the wrap 100 will automatically self adjust to the smaller size of the post 200. In particular, as shown by the sets of arrows in FIG. 7, where like reference numerals depict like components, the dimensions of the post 200 may naturally shrink due to drying of the wood. The elongated bores 152 of the plates 150 (see FIG. 2) allow the fasteners 120 and corner pieces 154 to move with the post 200 and independently of the plates 150 without causing loosening or damage. That is, the fasteners 120 and corner pieces 154 move inwardly with the shrinking wood of the post 200 while the plates 150 may stay relatively in the same position. This occurs because the plates 150 are free floating with respect to the corner pieces 154 in at least one direction (horizontal) due to the elongated or slotted nature of the bores 152 in the plates 150. Further, this feature is enabled because a width of the plates 150 is narrower than a width of the post 200. In an embodiment, the width of the plates 150 is at least one of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 inches narrower than a width of the sides of post 200. In the manner described above, the wrap 100 is self-adjusting over the life of the post 200 as the post 200 shrinks due to drying or expands due to moisture. It will be further appreciated that this self-adjusting feature of the wrap 100 eliminates the need to manually re-affix the wrap 100 after the dimensions of the post 200 change over time.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted a post wrap 300 for use on a wooden post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be observed, the protective wrap 300 may have four sides 302-308 that extend between a top edge 310 and a bottom edge 312. The sides 302-308 are arranged to form a generally cube-like shape having an open top and an open bottom. It will be appreciated that the open top and the open bottom accommodate a post. In an embodiment, the wrap 300 may have a generally rectangular cross section in a horizontal plane. In an embodiment, the wrap 300 comprises an outer surface 314 and an inner surface 316. The inner surface 316 is configured and adapted to abuttingly engage the outer side walls of a wooden post as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The outer surface 314 of the wrap 300 is the exposed or visible side of the wrap 300.

The wrap 300 may include four plates 320, 322, 324, and 326 and four corner pieces 328, 330, 332, and 334. Referring now to plate 320, with the understanding that plates 322-326 are similarly configured, the plate 320 includes four elongated bores 340 arranged in a rectangular pattern. Referring now to corner piece 328, with the understanding the other corner pieces 330-334 are similarly configured, corner piece 328 may include a first portion 328A and a second portion 328B that intersect at a corner 329 and at an angle. In an embodiment, the angle is about 90 degrees. The first portion 328A may include a top bore 342 and a bottom bore 344. The second portion 328B may also include a top bore 346 and a bottom bore 348. Each of the bores 342 and 344 of the first portion 328A is configured to align with one of the elongated bores 340 on the plate 320. Each of the bores 346 and 348 of the second portion 328B is configured to align with one of the elongated bores 340 on the plate 326. Fasteners may be utilized to secure the corner piece 328 and the plates 320 and 326 to a post 345 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Because of the elongated bores 340, the plates 320-326 are free floating with respect to the corner pieces 328-334 in at least the horizontal direction. In this manner, the post wrap 300 may self adjust to natural changes to the size of the post, including shrinking and expansions.

Referring now to FIGS. 11, 12, and 14, there is depicted a post wrap 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wrap 400 may include a base member 402 having a plurality of bores 404. The bores 404 may be utilized to secure the base member 402 to a support surface, such as a concrete or other hardened surface. The wrap 400 may further include a locking plate 406 configured so as not to block the bores 404. The locking plate 406 may further include a plurality of tabs 408. In an embodiment, the locking plate 409 may have a “cross” shape, where each of the arms of the “cross” form one of tabs 408.

Each of the locking plates 406 and the base member 402 may include a center bore 410 configured and adapted to receive a post 412 as perhaps best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The locking plate 406 may be slightly larger than the base member 402 such that the tabs 408 extend beyond the edges of the base member 402 when the center bores 410 of the locking plate 406 and the base member 402 are aligned. The wrap 400 may further include four side plates 414. Each of the side plates 414 may include a slot 416 configured and dimensioned for receiving one of the tabs 408 of the locking plate 406. The side plates 414 may further include a plurality of bores 418 for receiving fasteners 420.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-13, the wrap 400 may be installed onto a lower portion of a post 430. First, the base member 402 may be secured to a support surface using fasteners. The post 412 may also be installed into the center bore 410 of the base member 402 such that the post 412 extends vertically. Then, the locking plate 406 may be installed onto the post 412 such that it rests on the base member 402. A wooden post 430 may then be installed onto the post 412. In this regard, a receiving bore (not shown) may be pre-drilled into the bottom surface of post 430. Once the post 430 is in place, the side plates 414 are then placed on the sides of the post 430 such the tabs 408 of the locking plate 406 extend through their respective slots 416. Then, fasteners 420 are installed into the bores 418 of the side plates 414 to secure the final assembly of the wrap 400.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is shown a post wrap 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wrap 500 may include plates 502, 504, 506, and 508. The wrap 500 further includes corner pieces 510, 512, 514, and 516. Referring to the plate 502, with the understanding the plates 504-508 are similarly configured, the plate 502 may include elongated bores 520. Referring to the corner piece 510, with the understanding the corner pieces 512, 514, and 516 are similarly configured, the corner piece 510 includes a first portion 510A and a second portion 510B that intersect to form a corner 524. Formed in each of the first portion 510A and the second portion 510B is a bore 522. Each of the bores 522 aligns with one of the elongated bores 520. Referring to FIG. 16, the wrap 500 may be installed onto a post 550. When installed, it will be appreciated that the plates may be free floating with respect to the corner pieces in at least one direction due to the elongated bores 520.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of installing a protective wrap onto a wooden post having a plurality of sides, said method comprises (i) positioning a first plate onto a first side of the post; (ii) positioning a second plate onto a second side of the post, wherein the first side and the second side are adjacent to each other on the post; (iii) installing a corner piece onto the post, said corner piece overlapping both the first plate and the second plate; (iv) installing a first fastener through a first bore in the corner piece and a first bore in the first plate; and (v) installing a second fastener through a second bore in the corner piece and a second bore in the second plate; (vi) wherein the first bore in the first plate and the second bore in the second plate are elongated such that the first plate and the second plate are free floating with respect to the corner piece in one direction.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the present disclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description of the Disclosure by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present disclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the present disclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above with particularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for protecting a terminal end of a wooden post, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of plates, each of the plates having an inner post engaging surface and an outer surface, each of the plates further having a first bore and a second bore; a plurality of corner pieces, each of the corner pieces having a first portion and a second portion defining an angle therebetween; and the first and second portions of each of the corner pieces having a bore; wherein the bore in the first portion of each corner piece is configured and adapted to come into alignment with the first bore of a plate; wherein the bore in the second portion of each corner piece is configured and adapted to come into alignment with the second bore of a plate.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bore and the second bore in each of the plurality of plates is elongated.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of plates comprises four (4) plates.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of corner pieces comprises at least four (4) corner pieces.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of corner pieces comprises eight (8) corner pieces.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fasteners for securing the plates and corner pieces to the post.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one reinforcing strip secured to a face of each of the plates.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plates and corner pieces are formed of metal.
 9. A wooden structure comprising: a post having four sides and four corners; a protective wrap installed onto said post, the protective wrap comprising four plates and a plurality of corner pieces; wherein each side of the post has one of the plates installed thereon; wherein each corner of the post has one of the plurality of corner pieces installed thereon such that the plates are positioned between the post and the corner pieces; and a plurality of fasteners for securing the corner pieces to the post; wherein each of the plates is free floating with respect to the corner pieces in a first direction.
 10. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein the post is one of a timber post and dimensional lumber.
 11. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein the plates are constrained from moving with respect to the corner pieces in a second direction.
 12. The wooden structure of claim 11, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.
 13. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein the plates have a plurality of elongated bores formed therein, wherein said fasteners extend through said elongated bores and into the post.
 14. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plates comprises a decorative cutout.
 15. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plates comprises a reinforcing strip.
 16. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein the corner pieces and the plates are discrete components.
 17. The wooden structure of claim 9, wherein the protective wrap is formed of metal.
 18. A method of installing a protective wrap onto a wooden post having a plurality of sides, said method comprising: positioning a first plate onto a first side of the post; positioning a second plate onto a second side of the post, wherein the first side and the second side are adjacent to each other on the post; installing a corner piece onto the post, said corner piece overlapping both the first plate and the second plate; installing a first fastener through a first bore in the corner piece and a first bore in the first plate; and installing a second fastener through a second bore in the corner piece and a second bore in the second plate; wherein the first bore in the first plate and the second bore in the second plate are elongated such that the first plate and the second plate are free floating with respect to the corner piece in one direction.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising installing a third and fourth plates onto a third and fourth sides, respectively, of the post.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising installing additional corner pieces onto the post to secure the third and fourth plates onto the post. 